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Prophecy, Propaganda Or Both? a Rereading of Hosea 1-3

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Prophecy, Propaganda Or Both? a Rereading of Hosea 1-3 University of Notre Dame Australia ResearchOnline@ND Theses 2015 Prophecy, propaganda or both? A rereading of Hosea 1-3 Lawrence Pang University of Notre Dame Australia Follow this and additional works at: http://researchonline.nd.edu.au/theses Part of the Religion Commons COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA Copyright Regulations 1969 WARNING The am terial in this communication may be subject to copyright under the Act. Any further copying or communication of this material by you may be the subject of copyright protection under the Act. Do not remove this notice. Publication Details Pang, L. (2015). Prophecy, propaganda or both? A rereading of Hosea 1-3 (Doctor of Philosophy (College of Philosophy and Theology)). University of Notre Dame Australia. http://researchonline.nd.edu.au/theses/105 This dissertation/thesis is brought to you by ResearchOnline@ND. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses by an authorized administrator of ResearchOnline@ND. For more information, please contact [email protected]. PROPHECY, PROPAGANDA OR BOTH? A REREADING OF HOSEA 1–3 By LAWRENCE PANG Principal Supervisor DR DAVID COHEN Research Thesis Submitted for the Fulfilment of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Philosophy and Theology University of Notre Dame, Australia. 19 Mouat Street Fremantle Western Australia 6959 March 2015 ABSTRACT Scholars agree that the prophetic books in the Hebrew Bible contain writings associated with Israel’s prophets. They concur that the growth of the books involves preservation and collection of materials relating to prophetic speeches and activities, reflecting as well as commenting on these materials, and updating them through a process of redaction as events unfold. The purpose of each stage of growth was to make the prophetic speeches and activities applicable to a new situation. This manner of growth, however, presents an interpretive issue. The redaction of prophecies within the context of a book bearing the name of a prophet gives the impression that the redaction derives from the prophet as Yahweh’s spokesperson. With the book of Hosea, scholars argue that the aim of the redaction is to explain the fall of Samaria in 722 BCE and to give encouragement to those in exile. The redaction presenting itself as the word of Yahweh about an impending disaster for the northern kingdom to the prophet suggests it seeks to achieve more than simply explaining the disaster or giving encouragement. Despite many monographs and journal articles treating the redaction in the book of Hosea at length, no investigation has scrutinised the motivation behind the prophecies in Hosea in presenting themselves as the sayings of the prophet Hosea. This study aims to fill the gap in Hoseanic scholarship by offering an extensive review of Hosea 1–3 through the lens of propaganda. It seeks to explore the possibility that the goal of the redaction in these chapters is to persuade the people in the defunct northern kingdom of Israel to adopt a way of thinking and acting that best represent the aspiration of Yahweh. This study hopes to determine whether Hosea 1–3 comprises prophecy, propaganda or both. 2 DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP This research proposal is the Candidate’s own work and contains no material that has been accepted for the award of any degree or diploma in this or any other institution. To the best of the candidate’s knowledge, the thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person, except where due reference is made in the text. Lawrence Pang March 2015 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This thesis completes a journey that began with an interest in the Christian Scripture that has developed into a labour of love for the Hebrew Bible. I am indebted to many people who have inspired, guided and supported me on this journey. I wish to thank everyone in the School of Philosophy and Theology at the University of Notre Dame Australia (Fremantle), past and present, for sharing their knowledge and experience. I want to thank the Notre Dame Research Committee for facilitating this thesis and Professor Matthew Ogilvie for his counsel and encouragement. I would also like to express my thanks to Sister Clare Sciesinski and Dr Elizabeth Boase for their invaluable teaching and motivation during my undergraduate and postgraduate studies at Notre Dame. I am indebted to Drs Elizabeth Boase and Kathryn Imray who have provided many valuable insights as supervisors during my first two years of research. Drs James Trotter and Suzanne Boorer of Murdoch University (Western Australia) have also made significant contribution in steering me in the right direction. I would like to thank Drs Angela McCarthy and Judith Schneider for proofreading my thesis. Finally, I want to thank Dr David Cohen. It was a privilege to work with him. I would not have been able to complete this thesis without his professional supervision and patient guidance. His friendship has helped me to cope with the sense of awe that underpins a doctoral research. I owe the greatest debt to my family. Michael, Gabriel and Holly have patiently watched and endured their father’s preoccupation with his interest in the Hebrew Bible. Elma, my wife, has sacrificed much of her own time and energy so that I may pursue my study. I am eternally grateful for her generous and loving companionship. 4 CONTENTS ABSTRACT 2 DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 4 CONTENTS 5 ABBREVIATIONS 8 1. INTRODUCTION 10 1.1. TERMINOLOGY 12 1.2. NON-HOSEANIC PROPHECY: NATURE AND PURPOSE 17 1.3. NON-HOSEANIC PROPHECY AS BLACK PROPHECY AND PROPAGANDA 20 1.4. THE UNITY OF HOSEA 1–3 26 2. METHODOLOGY AND LITERATURE SURVEY 30 2.1 INTRODUCTION 30 2.2 RESEARCH DESIGN 31 2.3 LITERATURE SURVEY: PROPAGANDA 32 2.3.1 Defining Propaganda 33 2.3.2 Propaganda in the Hebrew Bible 50 2.3.3 Propaganda in the Prophetic Literature 59 2.3.4 Review: Propaganda in the Hebrew Bible and Prophetic Literature 64 2.4 CONTOUR OF RESEARCH 66 3. PROPHECY AND PROPAGANDA IN HOSEA 1 70 3.1 INTRODUCTION 70 3.2 EXISTING THEORIES AND ISSUES 71 3.2.1 Hosea 1 as Literary Work 71 3.2.2 Hosea 1: The Prophecies of the Prophet 81 3.2.3 Hosea 1: The Work of a Redactor 84 3.2.4 Hosea 1: A Composite Work and Its Implication 89 3.2.5 Summary 93 3.3 NEW PERSPECTIVE 95 3.3.1 Assertion in Hosea 1:1 97 5 3.3.2 Narrative in Hosea 1:2–9 106 3.3.3 Yahweh’s Explanation in Hosea 1:2–9 125 3.3.4 Black Prophecy and Propaganda in Hosea 1:5 and 1:7 135 3.3.5 Assyrian War Testimony and Propaganda in Hosea 1:5 140 3.3.6 Deuteronomistic Influence in Hosea 1:5 144 3.3.7 Assyrian War Testimony and Propaganda in Hosea 1:7 148 3.3.8 Deuteronomistic Influence in Hosea 1:7 151 4. PROPHECY AND PROPAGANDA IN HOSEA 2 154 4.1 INTRODUCTION 154 4.2 EXISTING THEORIES AND ISSUES 155 4.2.1 Redaction 155 4.2.2 Metaphor 164 4.3 NEW PERSPECTIVE 173 4.3.1 Context(s) behind Hosea 2:4–25 173 4.3.2 The Siege 186 4.3.3 The Destruction of Agriculture 196 4.3.4 The Disruption of Israel’s Worship 202 4.3.5 Punishment as Prerequisite for Rehabilitation and Restoration 207 4.3.6 Hosea 2 as Black Prophecy 212 4.3.7 Deuteronomistic Influence in the Black Prophecy 215 4.3.8 Hosea 2 as Propaganda 218 5. PROPHECY AND PROPAGANDA IN HOSEA 3 224 5.1 INTRODUCTION 224 5.2 EXISTING THEORIES AND ISSUES 238 5.2.1 Hosea 3 as Literary Work 238 5.3 NEW PERSPECTIVE 241 5.3.1 Influence of Hosea 1 on Hosea 3 241 5.3.2 Hosea 3 as Propaganda 252 6. SETTING AND PROPAGANDA IN HOSEA 3 272 6.1 NEW PERSPECTIVE 272 6.2 THE CHRONOLOGICAL PROBLEM OF THE REIGN OF KING HEZEKIAH 275 6 6.2.1 Chronology According to 2 Kings 18:1, 9–10 277 6.2.2 Chronology According to 2 Kings 18:13 280 6.3 HOSEA 3 AND THE REIGN OF HEZEKIAH 284 6.3.1 Empty Land Hypothesis 286 6.3.2 Deuteronomistic Influence in Hosea 3 296 6.3.3 Deuteronomistic Propaganda in the Pre-Exilic Edition of Kings 300 6.3.4 Hezekiah’s Reform and Propaganda 315 7. CONCLUSION 329 7.1 SUMMARY 330 7.2 IMPLICATIONS AND SCOPE FOR FUTURE STUDIES 335 7.3 PROPHECY AND PROPAGANDA 338 BIBLIOGRAPHY 340 7 ABBREVIATIONS The following is a list of abbreviations used in this research thesis. ABD Anchor Bible Dictionary ANET Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament BA Biblical Archaeologist BAR Biblical Archaeology Review Bib Biblica BibInt Biblical Interpretation BibInt Biblical Interpretation: A Journal of Contemporary Approaches BASOR Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research BWANT Beiträge zur Wissenschaft vom Alten und Neuen Testatment BZ Biblische Zeitscrift CBQ Catholic Biblical Quarterly COS The Context of Scripture CBR Currents in Biblical Research DDD Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible EBD Eerdmans Bible Dictionary FemTh Feminist Theology FidesH Fides et Historia Gregoarianum Gregoarianum History and Theory History and Theory HTR Harvard Theological Review HALOT Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament Iraq Iraq Islamic Studies Islamic Studies JAOS Journal of the American Oriental Society JAS Journal of Achaeological Science JBL Journal of Biblical Literature JBQ Jewish Bible Quarterly JNES Journal for Near Eastern Studies JSOT Journal for the Study of the Old Testament LXX Septuagint MT Masoretic Text Nature Nature PEQ Palestine Exploration Quarterly RB Revue biblique RevExp Review and Expositor Semeia Semeia SJOT Scandinavian Journal of the Old Testament ST Studia theologica TLOT Theological Lexicon of the Old Testament TWOT Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament TynBul Tyndale Bulletin UF Ugarit-Forschungen VT Vetus Testamentum ZAW Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft 9 1.
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